


The Abyss

by earn_redemption



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Flashbacks, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Post-Game(s), Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 21:55:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17454965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earn_redemption/pseuds/earn_redemption
Summary: Arthur Morgan gets the second chance he never thought he deserved.





	The Abyss

**_Spring 1899_ **

**_Even around these parts, you can feel the remaining chill comin' down from up north. Tomorrow, Dutch is goin' over the ferry heist plan once more just to make sure everything is set. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't nervous. I do not know how exactly all this will play out, but if it goes well, we'll have enough money to do as we please._ **

**_I could finally provide some life to Eliza and Isaac. Maybe settle down with them. Be there for my boy. Will have to discuss how to bring  that up to Dutch with Hosea, maybe._ **

**_I want him to be better than me. Far better than the man I have become over the years. He's only just turned five, so maybe there's time to give him a normal home life._ **

**_God, I can only hope._ **

-

_Arthur sat down at the table with Eliza sitting across from him, her hands folded and her eyes looking down away from him. "How long will you be gone?" she asked, quietly._

__

"I don't know. Weeks, months. Hell, could be a year for all I know" Arthur sighed as he took off his hat and set it on the table. He looked at Eliza and leaned over slightly to place his hands on hers, causing her to look up and give him a small smile.

"After this and Hosea and I go back to collect on our side job, we'll be set. But the law is gonna be on our tails for a while, I reckon with a job like this."

"Just...be safe. Please? For us. For him."

Arthur paused then stood up, Eliza along with him and he pulled her into his arms.  
"Now you know I never promise nothin' like that but... I'll come back to you two. Always."

The two stood there holding one another for what seemed like forever before Arthur pulled away with a sigh. "I'll go see him," he says and Eliza nods. Arthur picks up his hat and places it back on top of his head before walking over to a small room at the end of the cabin.

"Isaac" Arthur calls softly as he taps on the door and opens it slowly. He smiles as he enters and sees his five-year-old son sitting on the group playing with the various toys his father had brought him over time. Isaac looked up and smiled at his father and greeted him with a "Hi, pa."

"Whatcha doin' there?" Arthur asked crouching down beside his son. "Just playing 'for I go to bed," he said happily as he played with the little wooden animal figures Arthur picked up a few months back for his fifth birthday. Arthur watched his son play for a moment before letting out a sigh "Isaac, I got somethin' I need to talk to you 'bout." That caught the boy's and he set down his toys before looking at his father, mirroring his serious look. Arthur picked Isaac up and carried him over to the small wooden bed in the corner of the room. He sat down and placed the boy beside him, turning to face him.

"Listen good, boy, cause I'm gonna need you to understand," Arthur says looking his son directly in the eye. The young boy looked back at his father with big blue-green eyes and nodded quickly. "I'm leavin' tonight, and I probably won't be back for a while, so while I'm gone, you be good ok? And take care of your mama cause she's gonna be missin' me too," he said and his son nodded again and asked him 

"How long you gonna be gone? I miss you when you go." "I know, son. But it's my job. I don't know when I'm comin' back" he said and Isaac lowered his head. "But," he continued, picking the small boy up and placing him on his lap. "once I come back, I'm gonna have some money and I'll take you and your mama into town and we'll all spend the day together and maybe get you some treats huh? That sound good?"

Isaac looked up at his father and showed a small smile then nodded. "Good. Now come on, I'll read you to bed before I go" Arthur said before placing his son on the bed stood up and he waited until Isaac quickly crawled under his covers to go over to the stack of books in the corner. 

Arthur stayed up and read to his son until he was sure the boy was fast asleep. Seeing his son peacefully asleep in the crook of his arm, he knew that, no matter what happened in the next few days, he was going to fight like Hell to get back to his family.

**Spring 1907**

****

The road to Valentine was a long one, one that Arthur had traveled before. Back when things weren't okay, but they were better. He had ridden along with a caravan headed there and with some choice words and a few dollars slipped the drivers way, not many questions were asked. Arthur sat in the back of a wagon with two other men, keeping to himself most of the trip, nose buried in his journal writing and drawing until they reached the Grizzles and- 

"So friend, you ever been down this way before?" He looked up and glanced at the older man across from him. "Once. Been years though," Arthur said covertly before looking back down in his journal, sketching the surrounding landscape. "Ah it sure has changed," the man said leaning back, "Lots more folk settlin' down, buildin' homes and such." Arthur just gives a half-hearted 'hmm'. 

The man across from Arthur took the hit that he was not interested in conversation and the rest of the trip the others in the caravan left Arthur be. He found it hard, to trust people anymore. Those he trusted most were either dead, had turned on him, or hadn't been able to contact him and vise versa. His job in the end was to get John and his family out, and he did that. He just didn't count on surviving the ordeal himself.

It was about another hour before they finally reached the outskirts of Valentine. Arthur finally put his journal away in his new satchel and told the caravan driver he'd walk the rest of the way. The driver bid him farewell and Arthur made his way up the path to Chadwick Farm. He glaced at the hanging 'ROOM FOR RENT' sign before walking up the stairs and knocking on the door. 

"Hey there, mister. Can I help ya?" the boy who opened the door, who seemed barely out of his teens,asked. "Uh, yeah. Saw your sign, need a place for a few nights," Arthur politely smiled. "Oh yes, come on in Mister..." "Callahan. Edward Callahan" He said, sticking his hand out and the boy happily shook it. "James Chadwick, nice to meet you, Mister Callahan." 

James opened the door to allow Arthur in and led him to a small room near the front door. "My ma and pa are out for a few days, so they left me in charge for the time bein'. Ya know, said I should be involved with the family business and all that" he said and Arthur nodded, " Sure." James pulled out a book and a pen, opening the book and jotting down Arthur's, or rather Mr. Edward Callahan's name.

"So Mister Callahan, where ya visiting from?" James asked closing the book and motioning for Arthur to follow him. "Ah, just around mostly" Arthur said scratching his neck and adjusting his new satchel, "Out west mostly." "Out west? Heard it's still all open and nice out there, even today. It'd be mighty fine to go out there and settle down one day, that's what I'm plannin' on anyways" James says as he opens at the top of the stairs.

"Well, enough chewin' your ear off, Sir, here's your room. Nothin' grand but fifty cents less a night then the motel" James gestured to the door and Arthur pulled out a week's worth of change, handing it to the boy. He smiled, "Well thank you kindly, Mister. I'll be just downstairs if you need anything." Arthur thanked him and entered the room, closing the door behind him. He sat on the bed and pulled out his journal and pencil and began to write:

_**I cannot believe I am coming back anywhere near these parts. Ever since... everything, I have been wandering. I have stayed mostly to the East and even went North for a while, I wanted to run as far as I could. I had no choice.**_

_**The man I had trusted with my very being and had given MY ENTIRE LIFE to had betrayed those he saw as family, and left me to DIE ALONE, in the end, for that NO GOOD, GODDAMN RAT, Micah. Even seeing his name fills me with an anger that frightens a one part of me but satisfies and fuels another.** _

_**All them folk... Jenny, Davey, Mac, Sean, Kieran, Hosea, Lenny, Miss Grimshaw, Eagle Flies...no good goddamn reason I tell you. They didn't deserve any of this...I was an absolute fool for not seeing things clear sooner.** _

_**Their deaths, forever a dark mark etched onto my soul. I don't even know if Eliza is okay. If Isaac is. If they're even still alive to this day. I just don't know. I tried contacting them, tried going home, but I couldn't, I had to run again. It was always running, them many days after.** _

_**It has been years since I have seen anyone. I saw John leave that mountain side, but did he even make it back to Abigail and Jack? Did Pinkertons kill him? Did Dutch catch up to him and kill him?? I don't know. Does it even matter? Did any of it, in the end?** _

_**So many questions, yet I do not expect any answers.**_  
-  
Arthur sighed, looking at the words he etched onto the page. He had given John his old satchel with his journal and his hat. He thought he was going to die on that mountain, after all. He almost wish that he had because it would have been easier then being betrayed and alone. He felt selfish for thinking such things considering everyone who were sacrificed for Dutch's delusions of living out their days in paradise. The word 'grateful' never came to mind as he was waking up in the morning. Arthur reached into the satchel and pulled out the worn flask he stole from a traveler months ago and looked at it. "Good as time as any I guess" he mumbled and untwisted the cap.

Arthur took two long drinks of the warm whiskey and sits back on the bed. He drank and scribbled in his journal until unconsciousness overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter, i am not good at writing fan fics at all so yeah lol


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